


And a Coke

by fourshoesfrank



Series: autistic marvel [8]
Category: Luke Cage (TV)
Genre: Gen, LUKE IS SUCH AN UNCLE/COUSIN, NOT QUITE DAD BUT HES GETTIN THERE, Pre-Canon, TW meltdowns, autistic character(s) of color, autistic luke cage, in this house we dislike mike colter but love luke cage, why wasnt that already a tag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-01
Updated: 2018-09-01
Packaged: 2019-07-05 06:40:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15858282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fourshoesfrank/pseuds/fourshoesfrank
Summary: The sound of hairclippers is sensory hell for one of the kids that hangs around Pop's shop. Luke calms the kid down.





	And a Coke

July was going to be the hottest month of the year, Luke decided. Even at Seagate, a slightly overcrowded concrete building with no airflow in the Southern humidity, the heat hadn't been so oppressive. It made Luke sweat like a sinner in church, which Pop's thirstier customers no doubt appreciated, but Luke couldn't wait for the fall to come around. Wearing any shirt in this heat was bad enough, but a solid black smock? No. 

Luke even asked Pop if he couldn't just pin something to his undershirt that said he worked there and call it a day, but he was met with a firm reminder that he had to "Set a good example for the kids, Luke." He didn't say anything when Luke rolled the sleeves up and wore sandals and shorts to work, though, so he did care about the risks of heatstroke. Somewhat. Pop wouldn't let Luke take the Christing smock off.

"Gotta let em know I can afford to pay you," he joked. Luke scoffed at that excuse, but he figured out that complaining wasn't going to get him anywhere. He stocked the vending machine up full of cold water and soda to make sure everyone would stay hydrated and decided that he'd done all he could.

July fifth was sweltering. Luke was sweating from places he didn't even know has sweat glands, despite the air conditioning that blasted through the shop. Being bulletproof did nothing for his heat tolerance, apparently. 

Other than the fact that everybody was developing a case of swamp butt, it was a regular business day. Pop was cutting hair, giving shaves, and making a fortune on the swear jar from the group of teenagers that had decided to camp out in the shop for a while. It was below the ground level, so it was slightly cooler than being outside. 

One of the kids kept rocking back and forth in her seat, and she was playing with one of those squishy toy things that Luke had seen in a bodega or two for 50% off. The kid’s toy was shaped like a football, but the pigment was too faded to tell if that was what it had been intended to resemble. Maybe it was supposed to be corn, or something. Hell if Luke knew.

Luke kept an eye on the rocking girl while he swept, since she looked a little distressed. It was probably the heat. He himself had endured more than a few meltdowns in Georgia due to how hot it was and how the heat made him feel. 

In addition to watching the kid and doing his job, Luke was also playing devil's advocate in a conversation about the WNBA, even though he wasn't really invested in the argument. Talking was distracting him from how hot it was. 

"You have to admit, she can really..." Luke trailed off, glancing over to check on the kid again. What he saw was not good. She was rocking more intensely now, and one of her friends had given her a pair of headphones that were clamped tightly around her ears. It didn't look like they were doing their job, because she was humming quietly, probably to drown out whatever was making the offending noise. The kid looked like she was on the verge of a meltdown, to be honest.

"She can what, Luke? That woman can't do nothin and you know it. Admit it, Ogwumike would wipe the floor with your girl," Pop said triumphantly. "Luke?" Luke wasn't listening.

He tapped the girl on the shoulder and mimed removing a pair of headphones. She complied reluctantly, and Luke knelt down to her level. 

"Come with me," he said gently. "The back room's quiet." He stood back up and slowly walked into the back of the shop, glancing over his shoulder to make sure the kid was following. She was. The other kids were murmuring amongst themselves, but Luke was confident that they weren't talking shit.

The back room wasn't totally soundproof, but the drone of the tv, the clack of chess pieces, and the buzz of the hair trimmers faded to almost nothing. Luke didn't know what Pop had put in the walls of this place, but he was thankful. Noise usually didn't bother him, but when you added today's heat into the equation along with the noise it was a recipe for a shutdown. The two of them were in the back room to benefit Luke just as much as the kid.

She had backed into the far corner and slid down the wall into a sitting position, and now she was rocking back and forth on the floor, twisting the ends of her braids in her fingers as she rocked. 

Luke had heard one of the other kids call her Esi. He hoped she hadn't gone non verbal, because he needed to communicate with her about this next part.

"Esi," he said softly. The girl's eyes flicked up to rest on him for a moment before she looked back down at her feet, but it was enough for Luke. "Esi, I'm gonna get you a water bottle from the vending machine. Will you be alright in here for a minute?" He was careful to speak slowly, with an even tone, and not make any sudden movements. The message seemed to get through.

Esi paused her rocking to nod at Luke. "Coke?" she said, and Luke shrugged and nodded his head. 

"I'll be back with some water and a Coke. Sit tight."

Luke readied himself to explain to Pop what was going on. The kid was autistic and she was having a meltdown, meltdowns tire people out, so he was getting her some water and a Coke because she'd asked for the latter. Simple.

He was in and out with no trouble. Pop took the situation in stride and told Luke that he could take as much time with the girl as she needed.

Esi was waiting for him, stimming with her hair and a red marble she'd found on the floor.She was rolling it back and forth between her feet and nudging it back on track if it rolled too far away. The girl looked up, but her expression didn't change from the slightly scared, mostly tired one she had had on her face when Luke opened the door. 

"I got you a Coke," he said as he set the two bottles on the floor in front of her. She reached for the Dasani water first, opened it, and gulped the liquid down. Luke stood back up and placed his hand on the doorknob, to indicate that he was going to leave her alone. "I'll be right out there, right outside the door," he reassured her, "so you holler if you need anything.”

 

-

 

Esi didn't come to the shop for a few days after the day she had a meltdown. Luke asked her friends where she was, but they said she was just busy. Luke hoped that was the case.

The shop was a good deal cooler than it had been for a while when Esi showed up for the first time in almost two weeks. August was significantly less sweltering than July had been. Esi probably felt safe in the shop because it was no longer an aspiring sauna.

"Hi, Luke," the girl said as she walked through the door. After taking a quick glance at the vending machine and seeing that it was almost empty, she asked, "Can I get a water?"

Luke smiled at her. "And a Coke?"

"Sure."

**Author's Note:**

> if your autistic child/friend/whatever is reacting negatively to the heat!! don't punish them!! a lot of us have trouble with temperature regulation 
> 
> leave me some feedback you forgetful hobgoblins


End file.
